Aprilia 125RS

[Jay914]

Hi,

I've been thinking about buying a second hand Aprilia 125, has done low mileage and is a 2000 model. I am brand new to biking having driven a car, but want something for fun and commuting and will use it initially on a learner license.

I have been looking on Ebay and feel that there are a few on there with the 1500 price range that I have.

I like how they look, but would like to know people's opinion on their reliability as I have read that they can be expensive to maintain.

Can anybody help me please?

Thanks,

Jason.

[dransy]

Hi and welcome.
All 2 strokes are expensive to maintain. The RS reliabailty , ive done 10k miles on mine not had one problem with it . I find it an excellent bike , i use it for comuting every day and for fun rideouts.

Personally i think they are good bikes ,aslong as you treat them right and keep up with services and maintance and use good 2t oil , nothing should be wrong.

They are very fast quick fast bikes for a 125 handling is excellent cant go wrong i dont think.

Quite a few people have or have had one on this forum so youll get alot more different views on the bike.

Marc
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Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles

[colin1]

i like my rs125. They handle much better than a 4 stroke 125, even if you dont ride them fast because they are designed to be stable at high speed.

However they are a lot more expensive to run. You use about twice as much petrol, you need to buy 2 stroke oil as well, and they require a bit more maintenance than a 4 stroke. If they havnt been maintained properly dont expect a mechanic to be able to fix it. Mechanics arent that good at diagnosing problems and putting them right. This means you have more chance of getting the bike running properly if you read a bit on forums, ask questions, and notice how the bike is in different situations.

If you are gonna spend £1000 on a bike, you had better have another £1000 ready in case it needs work doing.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Andy C]

love them but i treat mine exactly how you should (not moving till at 60 degrees, not pushing it till fully warmed at 72, not into red) and it blew up and cost over £600 to get back on road, only had 3000KM on it aswell (2700KM done buy me so wasnt that the engine was fucked from previous owner ragging it)

still dont regret buying it as it has tought me a lot but will sell mine when past test as too impractical for what i need.

good luck finding a bike and getting into biking...you wont regreat it (although you bank balence will!!)
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[dransy]

Andy the previous owner ragging it wouldnt cause much harm , i rag mine all the time i have to , to keep up with friends on bigger bikes.

They are made to be ragged they perform best in power band which at high revs so ragging then shouldnt cause much harm , aslong as you keep up with services and maintanence
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Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles

[CoronaBoner]

Yes very good and reliable for me (had the 02 model) used it all through the winter and never once had a problem starting it up!!, even with with a layer of ice all over it after it was left outside work for 12 hours!!

Ragged it pretty much everywhere, I seemed to get the most fun out of it in the country roads. Just make sure like others have probably said, use the best fully synthectic 2stroke oil and make sure you let the engine warmup abit before abusing it had 11k on the clock and was still going strong untill I gave it into the "doom" garage

Damn I want another one.......
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2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken

[Andy C]

no dont get me wrong i dont ride my gently (once warmed it doesnt see below 7500rpm) and blow up due to a water bubble in oil henseengine with no oil (this wasnt due to anything i done as i would never get water near oil when filling it) yea it nice to rag and very good bike handly wise just feel i need a bigger 4t's if i pass my test thats all, i have done alomst 4000KM in less than 4 months as use it a lot and it has low miles might sell it as is a 6 year old bike and dont want the milage to match if that makes sense.
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[dransy]

when i pass my test i think i might save up for another bike so i can keep the rs , its just insurance for 2 bikes would be a bitch with me only been 18
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Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles

[Andy C]

really? no firstly i cant afford it but i think there great just wantnt keep it, could see myself going back a RS125 in a couple of years though when i can afford two bikes
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[Keith]

I absolutely love the RS125. So light and have plenty of go when you really yank the throttle. I had one at 17 and it ran so well for the 8 months I owned it, only to find it seize at the hands of the next owner, but these things happen. I took good care of my RS, making sure it was always warm and ran on the best oil etc, little things but they go a long way when owning a stroker such as the aprilia.

A few weeks back, I bought another one to start racing for fun at a local circuit, its currently looking a little sorry for itself in the back of the garage, waiting for me to get cracking with the track preparation. They truly are fantastic machines. I'm considering buying another one next year to replace the Bandit6, may seem a little daft but for the fun to be had, its worth it.
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Aprilia RSV Mille R Edwards Replica - Aprilia RS250 - Suzuki GSXR600 Supersport Race Bike

[Jay914]

Hey guys,

Thank you for your many replies to my post. It's very much appreciated.

Just one more thing, I've read in some adverts for RS's that there has been an engine re-build, but when looking at the mileage, they have only done around 11000 km. Does this mean that the bike needs a lot of attention, even re-building the engine from time to time, or just a lot of good oil & petrol?

[Andy C]

mines was rebuilt at 3086KM if you treat them well theydont blow up, saying that mine was trested well and blow up but just be carefull with it and spend time servicing it (nothing tenical just keep oil in it and clean it and check other stuff isnt low)
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[robboadd]

The rs125 is designed to be ragged everywhere thats why you should always replace the top end every 8000kms before its seizes. 2 strokes makes great learner bikes I believe as they are much more easier to work on than 4 strokes and can teach u basics of bike maintenance.